Thursday, May 19, 2016

Understanding Perspective, a peek inside!

June 15, that is the BIG DAY!Leading up to that date, I'm going to start showing a few previews of the book on this blog, to give you an idea what it's like! I hope Understanding Perspective will inform and inspire...The goal of this book is to bridge the world of abstract studio perspective with the skills and tools you need to draw on location. Best of all, it uses pictures to teach--it explains the concepts through wonderful images by talented artists and architects from around the globe, together with lots of diagrams and tips. Small in size, but pages packed with information, you can take this book with you out into the field when you work.Today, I post the introduction, as it explains the basic premise of the book...more peeks inside to follow!

"Understanding Perspective -- Introduction

Imagine
you are standing in an amazing space, say the Pantheon in Rome. Snapping a
quick photo like everyone else isn’t enough -- you
want to somehow capture this experience, but your group is leaving in only half
an hour. What
do you do? SKETCH!

Sketching on location
is powerful. You
have to look at something really carefully to draw it. The
process of drawing imprints what you see into your brain in such a way that
years from now, the sounds of the people walking by, the scent of the rain, the
feel of the
warm air, and much more will all flood back when you look at your sketch. Urban
Sketching is about capturing your experiences on paper, and more important, in
your mind and heart. It’s
a great way to learn and remember.

That said, sketching on location
can be challenging and overwhelming. Where
do you start a sketch? How
do you shrink the vast, busy scene in front of you onto your paper? How
does perspective work? And where isthat
darn Vanishing Point? Understanding
Perspective helps you bridge the theoretical world of perspective concepts with the real
world of on-site sketching.

All good sketches start
with good bones. Perspective is simply a set of rules “discovered” during the
Italian Renaissance that allows us to translate what we see in our three-dimensional
world onto a two-dimensional
surface, such as a piece of paper or canvas. These principles provide us with a
simple structure we can use to create the foundational lines in our sketches.

Perspective doesn’t
have to be frightening or something you avoid. Once
you know some basics and a simple process, your sketches will be faster,
easier, and more believable -- and
it will change the way you see the world, as you’ll see perspective everywhere!

Best of all, when you
leave Rome with sketchbook in hand, you’ll be bringing a bit of the Pantheon
with you..."